Been quite a while since my last post so here’s a bit of a catch up:

> Thankfully I’ve only had to deal with one hurricane threat so far this

> season, lets keep our fingers crossed going forward. That storm was a near

> miss for the Bahamas, the strongest wind was mostly felt in gusts at around

> 45 kts. It was a rain event in most areas but the last thing New Orleans

> needed was a rain event. My guests at the time were relieved when I let

> them know they would miss the main event by one day when they would be

> safely at home.

> Maintenance issues this year were double that of most years in expenses

> and hassle factor.

> I had to haul the boat three times for out of the water work, then things

> just started to wear out like:

> The ceramic top stove, the water heater, freezer, refrigerator, Port

> transmission, anchor, chain, rode, Genoa, starboard head, at the helm VHF

> radio, radar, motor mounts of both engines, props reconditioned on both

> sides. All up $44,000; that bites but it’s nice to have new stuff, ha!

> BOAT=break out another thousand, lol.

> Stray Cat is back in the water here in West Palm Beach looking pretty and

> set to go back to the Bahamas where I had such a good season in the Exumas

> Islands. The water is always crystal clear there but this season, well it

> just took my breath away.

> Sadly my older sister Pat passed away after an eight week battle with

> cancer. I was able to get away to New Hampshire to be with her and other

> family members before she passed. The cycle continues, my Granddaughter

> Kathryn gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ellie. I now have six

> great grand daughters.

> I went to Honduras to check the Bay Islands as a possible place to

> relocate. I’m still thinking about that. I will be going to Cancun around

> the holidays to spend a week with my children, an annual thing we all enjoy.

> I’m looking forward to the winter/spring season in the Exumas with new

> guests and past friends of Stray Cat.

> Mark

The Texas group met up in Nassau on Monday. After a Bahamian dinner at the
Sea Heaven, a walk along the beach and a good night

The Texas group met up in Nassau on Monday. After a Bahamian dinner at the

Sea Heaven, a walk along the beach and a good night’s sleep at the Towne

Hotel, we hit the Yacht Haven Tuesday morning to meet Captain Mark,

Chef-Mate Deb and to see Stray Cat. She’s a beautiful 45-foot Privilege

Catamaran, ready to be set free from the dock to do what she was designed

to do – sail!

But first things first. Cabin assignments and a safety talk. Then off. The

first night is usually spent at Rose Island to get folks accustomed to life

aboard. But with the winds and seas just right, the Captain decided to make

for Allen Cay and so we were off.

To describe the entire 6 days in detail would take a book so here are just

some of the highlights:

*Day One:*

Nassau to Allen Cay: Under sail from Nassau. Visit the Iguanas, snorkel,

and anchor out at Allen Cay with Cornish Game Hens for dinner (well worth

the money for the Chef – three gourmet meals a day plus snacks and no one

had to cook or do dishes!!).

*Day 2:*

There’s nothing like getting up, eating breakfast in the cockpit and then

going snorkeling! Perfect start to the day. Haul up the anchor and it’s off

to Highbourne Cay for a visit to the store to get ice and to see the nurse

sharks that hang around the marina waiting for folks to clean fish and give

them the scraps. Left Highbourne and went to Norman’s Cay for the night. Fresh

Grouper for dinner (after a lunch of burgers and bratwurst).

*Day 3:*

Motored from Norman’s to Warderick Wells Cay and the Exuma Land and Sea

Park. No anchoring here so a couple of us helped pick up a mooring ball.

Captain Mark took us to shore in the dinghy so we could hike BooBoo Hill –

a bit of a rocky walk so sandals not recommended as footwear for the hike.

But along the way you can see Mangroves up close and, at the top, Blow

Holes that will take off your hat if you’re not careful. The view from the

top is awesome as is the structure built by visitors, many of them

cruisers, who leave their ship’s name and the date of their visit. We

trekked down the hill, and then hiked across the Cay to a cute beach. After

a couple of hours ashore, we took the dinghy back to the boat for more

snorkeling and a great dinner of steak on the grill (did I mention the

food’s wonderful!).

*Day 4:*

After breakfast we dropped the mooring ball to head off to Staniel Cay to

see the famous Thunderball grotto. Stopped at Sampson Cay first to get ice,

eat ice cream and see more nurse sharks. Some of our party even got in the

water with these guys. Headed to Thunderball grotto, a worthy excursion

just to see the multitude of tropical fish that live there. The group

decided to go to shore to visit the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, see more sharks

and a ray, and to pick up a couple of T-shirts. Then back to Stray Cat for

a dinner of pork loin and twice-baked potatoes.

*Day 5:*

It’s pig beach on Sampson Cay this morning. And yes, they are quite large

pigs and they will swim out to your dinghy and will try to get in – and

they will eat from your hand if you’re careful. Leaving Sampson Cay,

Captain Mark took us through Pipe Creek, an amazing clear stretch of water

with an unbelievable array of colors. We exited the Creek and headed to a

cove on Compass Cay for swimming, snorkeling and just wading around. After

lunch (shrimp scampi with couscous), we headed outside into Exuma Sound to

experience true “blue water”. The wind was just right so we got to sail all

the way back up to Highbourne Cay. Decided to spend the night at anchor at

Highbourne, feasted on a dinner of Chicken Milano and finally had a night

when you could see the stars!

*Day 6:*

Hung around at anchor and ate breakfast waiting for the Highbourne Marina

store to open to get ice and water. The wind was right so up went the sails

and we headed back to Nassau. The trip usually takes at least 6 hours, we

made it in just under 4 and hit close to 9 knots a couple of times. Finally

caught some fish, had been trying everyday to no avail. Unfortunately these

were all small so we threw them back. Anchored at Rose Island, snorkeled

and went to the beach. Met a couple that have lived aboard for 12 years and

played with their boat dog Bailey. Another awesome dinner, this time

Cracked Conch and Key Lime Pie. Several of our party slept outside (an

almost nightly occurrence) and got to see the stars.

*Day 7:*

Sadness – today’s the day we had to head to the Yacht Haven in Nassau and

our flights back to Texas.

This was one fine vacation trip. Most of us had never spent time on a

sailboat and it was delightful. Captain Mark is a gracious host, a patient

teacher (we had a lot, lot, lot of questions) and a very competent captain.

Stray Cat is comfortable and spacious with roomy cabins and lots of deck

space so we could spread out and not be in each other’s way. And the food

prepared by Deb Starbuck was delicious and plentiful and I’m sure we each

gained a few pounds. It was well worth the extra cost.

We would absolutely recommend a Stray Cat Charter – with no reservations!

The new website is up and running, and just like anything new, there will be some bugs in the system that need to be worked out.

http://SailStrayCat.com

Ask anyone who’s ever bought a “new” boat… it takes a while to fix all the “new boat problems” and end up with a boat that you can actually count on. Same goes for the website, but please bear with us while we work out the wrinkles. Of course, we’ll be trying hard to make you wonder where all the problems are, but only time will tell.

The new site allows for a whole host of new functionalities, including a Member’s Area for former guests, future guests and friends of StrayCat.

From the date of this post forward, new Ship’s Log entries can be found on this website at this link – CLICK HERE

This blog will serve as the Ship’s Log Archives, but will also continue to receive the newest and most current posts.

Hope you enjoy the ride,

Capt. Mark

mark@sailstraycat.com

The new website is up and running, and just like anything new, there will be some bugs in the system that need to be worked out.

Ask anyone who’s ever bought a “new” boat… it takes a while to fix all the “new boat problems” and end up with a boat that you can actually count on.  Same goes for the website, but please bear with us while we work out the wrinkles.  Of course, we’ll be trying hard to make you wonder where all the problems are, but only time will tell.

The new site allows for a whole host of new functionalities, including a Member’s Area for former guests, future guests and friends of StrayCat.

From the date of this post forward, new Ship’s Log entries can be found on this website at this link – CLICK HERE

The Ship’s Log Archives are located at this link - CLICK HERE  ( we will continue to post the Ship’s Log entries here as well )

Hope you enjoy the ride,

Capt. Mark

mark@sailstraycat.com

Stay tuned,

Capt. Mark

What a fantastic Adventure!!

We met Capt Mark in Nassau, Bahamas after a nice flight and a kind local that whisked us through the airport to our cab. We arrived on a holiday and many stores were closed, but as usual Capt Mark had told us this would be the case and we were fully prepared.

We grabbed a few things from the convenience store and headed out to Rose Island. What a beautiful place. The calm ocean rocked us to sleep with peaceful breezes blowing through the hatches.

We all slept like babies, including our 2 year old Bella!

We woke up to a gorgeous sun rise and a cruiser, Wes off of a neighboring catamaran, who graciously took us over to the beach with his cool Bahamian poodle named Bailey. We did some shelling and looking around as Bailey fished and crabbed.

After some breakfast we motored down to Allen’s Cay for some iguana feeding and some beach combing. What a paradise! The water was crystal clear and there was only 1 other boat in the anchorage. That was the Barbara Ann who later fell onto some hard times.

Highborne Cay was next for some snorkeling and provisioning. The marina is beautiful and Bella loved the nurse sharks. The snorkeling on the reef there was fantastic! We saw everything from a large barracuda, to sunfish, angelfish, lion fish etc… It was spectacular!! The marina store is very nice and has most anything you need, for a fee.

The weather was forecast to deteriorate and come morning it had already started. Capt Mark used his spidey sense and told us that we better high tail it back to either Rose Island or Nassau. We had a wild ride back of adventure sailing with South Winds on the aft quarter, Stray Cat handled it like a dream! The waves were still crashing too hard at Rose Island so we continued on to Nassau Yacht Haven Marina. We did some grocery shopping, got a Starbucks and then spent a dark and stormy night there and decided to move on up to Paradise Island at the Atlantis Marina. What an awesome decision!!

We spent 2 days playing, sunning, gambling, shopping and enjoying the 5 star amenities. The Aquarium was state of the art! The water slides were amazing!! We highly recommend this activity especially at the end of your trip, it seems like the ultimate pampering!

We had the most enjoyable time and cannot wait for our return. Capt Mark is most gracious and has the BEST stories. He is an incredible Captain and person and the sailing adventure is truly something you have to experience!

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

October 1, 2011
Arrived in Nassau. Met Capt. Mark at Poop Deck. Went to bar across the street for a drink then to the grocery store for the week’s food. Evening was spent loading and getting acquainted with Stray Cat. Set sail to Rose Island and started to relax. We had a beautiful sunset and a thunderstorm through the night.

October 2, 2011
Pulled anchor and set sail for 5 hour cruise in mirror like waters to Allen’s Cay. We saw iguana on the beach then snorkeled reefs and spotted several sting rays. After that we sailed to Highbourne Cay and picked up supplies. Last we sailed to Norman’s Cay and anchored for the night. We went for a sunset swim and then grilled kabobs. We are enjoying the company, relaxing and enjoying the stars.

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

August 2011 -

Back in Italy from 3 weeks now, we keep thinking back to our wonderful week with Cpt. Mark sailing the Northern Exumas Cays.
It took just few minutes with this man and we immediately knew he’s the one ! Skillful, discreet, patient with our little ‘troop’ and extremely nice.
Stray Cat is a comfortable and well equipped 45 foot catamaran, which accommodates up to 8 guests. We were a party of 5 friends, including me, my husband Stefano, Randy from North Carolina and another Italian couple, Elena and Alessandro. Therefore…room was not missing at all.
We first spent about one hour shopping food and beverage in Nassau for the week, and then…ready to weigh anchor !
There is plenty to sail in the Caribbean, but the location we chose is amazing for sea lovers: Exumas Cays are an uncontaminated corner of the Bahamas islands. Forget luxury resorts and ordinary tourists places, think to a myriad of almost deserted little islands (the Cays) scattered in this unbelievable Caribbean pool blue, miles and miles of transparent water which call you jumping in every minute !
If you like the naturalistic part of a trip, the delicate smell of the sea, the thousand shades of blue, if you like to be in the middle of nowhere just with your friends, fins, snorkel and your camera, that’s a place to be at least one time in your life.
Spots we liked the most: Allan Cay, where a group of iguanas and seagull’s are a natural frame of a pinkish sandy beach;
Staniel Cay, were we did a wonderful snorkeling at Thunder ball Grotto, a cave where the light gets in from a hole in the top of dramatic walls, with an incredible number of tropical fishes such as parrots, angels, yellowtail snappers, butterfly fishes and so; Pig Island was an experience: imagine a group of wild pigs swimming and trying to climb in your dinghy expecting you’ll feed them !!
Though the marinas were we stopped by for fuel, ice and some more food, such as Highbourne Cay and Sampson Cay were very nice, and we loved snorkeling at Northern Rose Island in our way back.
Last day we had to come back to Nassau few hours earlier than forecasted, since after 6 sunny days weather was promising anything but good. This has been an occasion to have a nice walk downtown and to stop at the local handcraft coloured market in the main street. For whoever is around, take the time to get an ice-cream at Ice Cream Parlor…it’s simply delicious.
Special thanks to our Captain Mark, for welcoming us in his boat and guiding us through these beautiful islands.
We all appreciated your company and we hope to spend another vacation together aboard soon !!

A presto,
Elisabetta & Stefano

PS Just few days after our return back to Italy we heard about hurricane Irene hitting Bahamas. Well, for the little we have known Mark, we had no doubts about his capability to face difficulties, but nature can be very rough…and we were relieved to know that Stray Cat and its captain were safe !

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

I’ll start by saying that Stray Cat and I withstood Hurricane Irene unscathed. I have received more then 130 emails from well wishers, family and friends, thank you all for your good wishes and prayers.
The month started with Tropical storm Emily for which I had to delay the boarding of a wonderful group from France and ended with me asking my guests/friends Ryan and Jen to leave early so I could prepare for hurricane Irene.
Talk about stress, I begin watching as tropical waves leave the African cost marching westward across the Atlantic. Will these waves develop, what of their track and intensity two weeks out, will the Bermuda high deteriorate changing the track, what about the low coming down from the main land, will it redirect the storm. Will high wind sheer hamper development or dry air masses slow development, a lot to keep in mind for two and a half weeks before most people know there is a threat out there.
Sailors/cruisers who know me know I will run in a safe direction to avoid a threat but sometimes it’s not possible as was the case with Irene. Things don’t always workout the way they might. The mountains of Puerto Rico and D.R. could have diminished or redirected Irene resulting in little or no threat, not this time. Four days out there’s a predicted low coming from the mainland, if the timing of it’s arrival is just right it will push Irene east and miss Nassau completely, in fact it did move the storm about 60 miles east of Nassau which is probably why Stray Cat was not damaged. Without that jog to the east, Nassau would have been on the dirty side of the eye wall of a cat three hurricane.
When it was clear that there was no safe direction to run/sail away to, I moved Stray Cat to Rose Island where there is an island within the island all surrounded by wind breaking pine.
Getting the boat ready involves removing sails and anything else that represents windage or will just blow away. Shutting off propane, closing sea cocks and the like, dragging the dink up to the woods and taking pictures for the insurance company, two days labor in hot still air; the quite before the storm.
A Bahamian friend took me and others in the eleven miles to Nassau. I got a cab and checked into the Sheraton.
What a relief to find Stray Cat sitting pretty, undamaged at the dock albeit, covered with pine needles and beach sand now two days to put her back together.
Mark

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com